pages

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

L'esprit d'escalier

Exactly a year ago while walking around in Paris at night, I spotted this model and commented; Oh those trecherous, unending circular staircases in Paris! I'll take a mini model instead S.V.P

Little did I know what awaited me.

So I've been getting in fighting shape for those 6 Parisien flights. I can now actually RUN up the subway stairway! According toa recent article in the NYTimes, stair-climbing is a great free workout! Why didn't I start doing this sooner? To heck with swimming laps! There's a wonderful French idiom,L'esprit d'escalier (literally, stairway wit) that describes the predicament of thinking of the right thing to say too late.

The idea is, it hits you what you should have said when departing on stairway. No wonder! There are so many stairways in Paris! Where else would the lightbulb go off? Sardi, who lives in a Soho loft and climbs 5 steep stairs everyday, suggested I bring along an artist's folding stool - I could take timeout on the landings on the way up. Of course Susanne says not to worry.

All those stairs will make me free to eat any of these I want. Have you any tips on climbing all those Parisien steps?BONJOUR MERCREDI!

26 comments:

I do have one tip; make sure you have everything you need for the day before you leave, because you don't want to have to go back for anything. I stayed with a friend in his 9th floor flat in Rome and twice ended up buying duplicates of items I'd left upstairs because I wasn't doing the trip up more than once a day.

The Empire State building has an annual race up in early February.I'll never be in fighting shape for that one!Did you know it's much better to go up than to go down?Best to take the elevator down...your body weight is 6-7 times more going down and a strain on your knees.Going up is just 2 times so strain-free.All from the Times article...

i climbed up and down many while in italy recently(just returned saturday from my two week adventure). the tuscan hill towns were great for getting me into my step and quick walking mode. by the end of the two weeks i was walking quickly and steps/stairs were nothing nor did they bother me in the least.

came back with a better attitude about walking and steps and actually walking faster than before i left:)

now if i can just push myself to walk a mile a day now that i have returned home so i can keep up with my progress made in italy :) once this snow and cold leaves...it will be on my agenda :)

i must add that my hotel(s) had elevators and i was spared climbing four flights of stairs each day coming/going but, i did more than make up for it with all my hill climbing :)

Hi Carol, I have to ask you a huge favour: Could I copy some of your watercolors, scale it down to 1/12 for my dollshouse? It would be for private use and not going anywhere else. I don't want to do it without your permission. Thank you any way and thank you for sharing your beautiful works. Rosanna

Nothing like a hot soak to ease the pains in your calf muscles that you will undoubtedly be feeling. Do you have a tub in your apartment? If not, off to the sauna! I agree with earlier post about the stairs at Abbess. I thought I would die from both the climb and the lack of air. To be avoided at all cost. Have a great trip.Pat

That Barbara KNOWS what she's talking about! As for me, I started working with a big hospital-based group of cardiologists and heart surgeons a year ago, so I decided to always take the stairs back to my car 6 stories up in the parking garage after my meetings with them....seemed only right to do the cardio fitness thing. Then one day, halfway up, I was puffing and panting and I re-thought: wouldn't look too good to be carried back into the hospital with a heart attack, would it?

My tip on ascending, especially, PACK LIGHT! We have a long and painful story about suitcases and metro stairs that I won't go into. No wonder I had to get a knee replacement!!!True, you will be able to afford the calories of the chocolate and pastries, but dont' forget about the Euro diet.

Paris Letters

♥carol gillott♥

l'Ile Saint Louis, Paris, Ile de France, France

Hi I'm Carol Gillott,
My Mom taught me watercolors at 5. I'm still at it, now tripping over cobblestones, living in a 6th-floor garret on l'Ile Saint-Louis, Paris. Read Parisbreakfast with a hot chocolate and croissant.
I paint Paris breakfasts.